Jue wine vessel, 16th-15th century BCE, 5 9/16 × 4 3/4 × 2 5/8 in., 0.2 lb. (14.1 × 12.1 × 6.6 cm, 0.1 kg), Bronze, China, 16th-15th century BCE, This wine vessel dates from nearly the beginning of the Chinese Bronze Age. Its plainness may reflect the relative newness of bronze casting technology; artisans were still figuring out the basics. This relic is from the Erligang culture (1600-1300 BCE), which flourished during the early Shang and predates the movement of the Shang capital to Anyang around 1300 BCE. Archaeological research shows that the jue is the earliest ritual wine vessel form and that it was developed about 1700-1600 BCE. Artisans originally based the jue on the style of existing pottery vessels. The form rapidly evolved toward an aesthetic based entirely on cast-bronze principles, and this vessel demonstrates the primitive technology and awkward proportions of the first ceremonial bronzes.